Chapter 41: United Front

  Before I could think, the carriage had already stopped. I poked my head out to look and saw that the troops had already left the pasture. In front of us was a rolling hillside, and by now the sun was setting in the west. It seemed it was time to set up camp.

  Chef Old Hu and Little Li, who followed the dining room, quickly set up a fire heap with the help of many warriors. Several tents of similar size were also set up by a small stream. I couldn't wait to jump off the carriage and exercise my stiff muscles.

  Ling Yi walked over from afar, saw me stretching my limbs so casually, and couldn't help but furrow his brow. I let out a soft hum, thinking to myself 'just in time, I still have something to ask you.'

  As he approached, I saw Jin Niang leading Ruo Wei and two wet nurses to prepare for camping, so I said to Ling Yi: "Do you have time? I have something to ask you."

  Ling Yi seemed unsurprised, nodded and led me walking towards the distance, stopping under a sparse forest by the creek.

  "You should know what I want to ask, right?" Without waiting for him to speak, I spoke up first.

  He nodded silently and said, "It's about Qingying, isn't it?"

  "Do you know that Gu Qingying is not Tai Shifu's own daughter?" I went straight to the point.

  He nodded slightly and said: "Yes."

  "When did you know?"

  "It was on the night of our wedding, Jin Niang told me later." He said calmly.

  "How am I supposed to impersonate her?" I asked anxiously. This person seemed so confident, as if he thought it would be easy to deceive Mrs. Gu.

  "The more it is like this, the better." He looked at me and said seriously.

  I was taken aback. It seems to make some sense. They are not biological father and daughter. There should be some distance between them. Moreover, they didn't originally live together. Maybe they aren't very familiar with each other's daily habits and such trivial things. But...

  I thought of another question and immediately asked him, "There's something I don't understand. Although Gu Qingying is not Gu Taishi's biological daughter, she has been treated as a father-daughter relationship for so many years. Why did you have to hide it from her? Since Gu Qingying can return to the soul, isn't it better to tell him the truth directly?"

  Ling Yi was taken aback. His expression turned serious in an instant. But he didn't answer my question. His eyes became complex.

  I stared into his eyes. As I thought, things weren't that simple. I continued to ask: "And isn't Gu Tai Shi your adoptive father? The relationship between you and him doesn't seem so simple either. Otherwise, why would you want me to impersonate Gu Qing Ying? Whether he is your adoptive father or father-in-law, it doesn't make sense emotionally or logically."

  He looked at me with a solemn expression, his eyes containing something I couldn't understand. After a long while, he spoke in a soft voice: "I didn't expect you to think of it this way, you're very clever."

  I looked at him helplessly, "I didn't want you to flatter me, I have to figure out the ins and outs of things, otherwise it would be a waste of time for me to go. I think that Master Gu is not a kind-hearted person, if something goes wrong, you should know better than me."

  He pursed his lips and looked at me with a determined look: "Alright, I'll tell you..."

  "Reporting to the castle lord......,"

  I was just about to listen carefully, but was interrupted by Ruo Wei's call, turned around to look at her, and knew that she had come to invite us to have a meal.

  Ling Yi sent Yu Wei away and turned to me saying: "Let's go, I'll tell you tonight." After finishing speaking, he didn't even turn his head and strode towards the camp in big steps.

  I almost had to half-run to keep up with his pace, and couldn't help but feel annoyed that this person really didn't have any elegance at all. After walking for a bit, he seemed to realize something again and slowed down his pace to wait for me to catch up. I took a look and found out that there was someone in front of us greeting him. He's really good at acting, I rolled my eyes. But it's also good that he no longer unconsciously treated me as Gu Qingying.

  The rice balls and roasted meat made by the chef were extremely delicious. As I gazed at the blazing fire in front of me, I felt as if I had returned to my past life, recalling the scene of camping outdoors. For a moment, I was dazed. Ruo Wei slipped away to chat with Xiao Li from the kitchen, while Jin Niang poured me a cup of wine and whispered, "The wild outdoors can be cold and damp, drinking some wine will do you good."

  I smiled and took it over, thinking about what Ling Yi wanted to tell me tonight. Seeing that the sky had already darkened, I downed the wine in one gulp. This wine was different from Du Shen's brew; as soon as I swallowed it, a burning sensation spread all the way to my heart.

  Back in the camp, Ling Yi was already there. I didn't see him when we were eating, and I was too lazy to ask about it. Finding a suitable place to sit down, I said to him: "Alright, let's start talking now."

  Ling Yi's expressionless face nodded slightly as he began his narrative: "Qing Ying was willing to marry me because of Father's request, to monitor my every move."

  I was slightly startled and looked at him incredulously, not responding. He seemed to expect my reaction and continued calmly: "The reason why our adoptive father took us in is that he had his own purpose. Myself, Chu Yunming, Shangguan Yan, and Zhou Chong were all orphans drifting outside when our adoptive father took us in and hired special tutors to teach us literature and martial arts, with the intention of having us complete his plan after we grew up."

  I silently watched him, having recovered from the initial shock, with a sense of wonder in my heart. Such a familiar plot, and I've somehow gotten entangled in such a complicated story. Thinking about it, I couldn't help but ask: "How did you know? Did your adoptive father tell you his intentions so bluntly from the start?"

  "No, I saw it myself." Ling Yi's voice was cold, as if he were talking about something that had nothing to do with him. "He settled us in a different courtyard, and our lives were spent reading and writing every day, and endless martial arts training. Every month, he would come to the other courtyard once, strictly examining our progress for the month, and if he was even slightly dissatisfied, we would be severely punished."

  The surroundings were very quiet, so quiet that only his low voice was left, I listened quietly to him telling stories, he spoke in a light and casual tone, but from his icy tone, I could feel the past, he seemed reluctant to recall, yet had to tell me.

  "What plan of his do you want us to complete?" I muttered.

  He smiled coldly and said faintly, "That's a struggle for power, you won't understand."

  I quietly raised my eyes to look at him, understanding that he didn't want to say too much about this. Since he thought it had nothing to do with me playing the role of Gu Qingying, I wouldn't ask further. After all, knowing too much wasn't beneficial for me.

  "Since you've already left Fengming Country, why go back?"

  "He hesitated for a moment before saying, 'Firstly, it's because of Qingying; secondly, the Afurong seed comes from Fengming Country.'"

  It turned out to be the case, and I suddenly understood why he had to return to Fengming Country every year, even this year was no exception. As far as I knew, that Afurong was harvested in March or April every year, after which it completed its growth cycle and needed to be replanted. It turned out that Master Gu controlled the entire lifeblood of Furong Fortress, and Ling Yi couldn't help but return every year. He would sell the Furong cream to the imperial family of Qi Country, wanting to use its special effects to control the royal family of Qi Country? I gradually had a shadow in my heart, this Master Gu, his ambition was not small! Ling Yi was just doing things for him.

  I didn't say a word, but just gave a cold smile, "It turns out that the real master of Furong Fortress is the Taishi of Fengming Country."

  Ling Yi glanced at me, ignoring my sarcasm, and actually smiled slightly. His smile was somewhat bitter and self-deprecating. He said softly, "You can put it that way."

  For some reason, I suddenly felt a thread of anger, "You know you're being used by him, yet you're still willing to go along with it? Is it just because of Gu Qingying that you're willing to lose yourself and be controlled by others?"

  He paused and raised his head, looking at me deeply. The icy eyes that had just been cold suddenly ignited a spark, which made me startled.

  The spark flashed and went out, he suddenly laughed, "Between people, it's always a relationship of using and being used. When you use others, others are also using you, each with their own needs, each taking what they want, how can you distinguish?"

  "This guy is hopeless! I looked at him speechlessly, and his somewhat desolate laughter made me indignant. I couldn't help but want to strike him. I said harshly: 'So you're saying that in order to mutually use each other, you'd rather take a woman who doesn't love you at all?'"

  His laughter stopped abruptly, and a hint of hurt flashed in his icy eyes as he said harshly, "Do you think Qingying will be happy if she marries someone else?"

  "Happiness?" I sneered: "Is it happiness to let a woman be sandwiched between two men who are using each other?"

  I thought he would be angry, but I didn't expect him to be stunned. He looked at me with a complex expression for a long time, and then suddenly whispered: "You're right, maybe this isn't happiness, but I can give her everything I can give. If it weren't for me, do you think she could marry the one she loves?"

  "Who does she love then?" I blurted out.

  He looked at me with an inscrutable expression, but didn't say a word. I urged: "Who is it after all? This is very important."

  He shook his head and said with difficulty: "I don't know."

  I stared at him in astonishment and said stupidly: "No matter how you put it, I still don't understand. Heaven, what do you want me to disguise myself as her?"

  Ling Yi suddenly looked at me, his eyes regained their luster, and he smiled: "No need to pretend, you are originally like that."

  "What?" I stared at him in astonishment, and suddenly understood what he meant: "You're saying that it's impossible for there to be two people in this world who look exactly alike."

  "Right," Ling Yi nodded, with a hint of unexpected praise in his eyes. "As long as you recognize the people you should recognize and don't make fundamental mistakes, there won't be any major problems. Jin Niang will help you get familiar with Qing Ying's various habits and hobbies, and I'll try my best to avoid having you have one-on-one contact with Master Gu. We'll only be staying for three days, and then we'll set off on our return journey, so it shouldn't be difficult to get through these three days."

  I stared at him in astonishment, not because of his idea, but unexpectedly, Ling Yi, you've already considered me as a comrade-in-arms? Thinking that I will definitely stand on the same front line with you? What should I do next?